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UPCOMING EVENTS
 

Greetings,

Our returning students begin the fall semester after a wide range of rewarding summer professional experiences. 

All of our students receive ongoing advice from our Career Development Office, starting in the first year. Read about the newly configured career development team along with one of their programs, On-Campus Interviewing, below.
 
This week, we invited current student Stephanie Baldwin to fill us in about her summer legal internship with the EEOC in Phoenix, as well as life as a highly engaged 2L.

Until the footnotes,
 
Marc 
 
Meet 2L Stephanie Baldwin
 
Second-year JD student and native Phoenician Stephanie Baldwin is among a small group of Arizona Law students who keep dual residences in Tucson and Phoenix, making the north-south commute on a weekly basis and keeping her connections strong in both places. 

Stephanie is a first-generation college student with an impressive distinction: Once she completes her JD from Arizona Law, Stephanie will have earned degrees from all three of Arizona's public universities; she already has a BS in communication from Arizona State University and a Master's in education with a human resources emphasis from Northern Arizona University.  She plans to practice law in Phoenix once she graduates. 

Stephanie knew she wanted to go to law school in elementary school -- in her 6th grade yearbook she predicted as much when asked to list what she'd be doing in 20 years. (Sixth grade is fairly early, although recent studies show that over half of all JD students made the decision to go to law school before starting college.) She worked for over ten years in human resources, including directing the HR department of the Phoenix Zoo.  

In 2015, Stephanie decided that the time was right for law school, realizing that her love of HR was actually a deep interest in employment law. She spent a lot of time visiting law schools across the country. Once she decided she wanted to remain and practice law in Arizona, she says the choice between her two options became clear. Stephanie was named a Jackson Scholar and received a Dean's Achievement Scholarship, solidifying her choice to join our community. 

 "I am so thankful for the support by donors and alumni that allow me to attend this school. It was the best decision I could have made, not only have my classes and professors been wonderful, I have made amazing friendships as well."

Stephanie with fellow Arizona Law students during last year's Arizona Supreme Court visit.


Over the summer, Stephanie leveraged her background and interest in employment law into a legal internship in the Phoenix office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in their trial division. She connected with the position through the Spring 1L Sonoran Desert Consortium On-Campus Interview process. 

Stephanie says that her full-time internship with the EEOC was an amazing experience, and one that affirmed she had made the right decision to switch to a career in law. She's grateful for the experience: 

"They provided us so many opportunities beyond legal writing and research. We were able to attend depositions, client interviews, write U Visas and even attend a mediation."  

In addition to employment law, Stephanie is interested in exploring as many areas of law as possible. She has her sights set on becoming a litigator and, one day, a judge. This semester, she is particularly enjoying her Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiations class with Professor Barbara Bergman and Professor of Practice Janis Gallego ('05). She is also working for the City of Tucson through the college's Criminal Prosecution Clinic

In addition to the countless hours she devotes to her law studies, she is a Barbri representative, has her own LSAT preparation company focused on assisting underrepresented minority applicants to law school, and teaches a course titled Strategic Human Resources at ASU. Among Stephanie's many other interests are sports, Harry Potter fandom, travel (including visiting 45 of 50 states so far), and concert photography.

Stephanie's path illustrates the textured backgrounds that bring people to Arizona Law, and the rich lives they live while learning the law and engaging with their new profession.


Around The College
Welcome to New Career Development Team Members
 
Arizona Law's Career Development Office (CDO)  was recently restructured under the new leadership of Assistant Dean for Career Development,  Shannon Trebbe ('10). Shannon has hired three new career counselors, who will be counseling students based on their practice-area expertise:

James Carlson  ('16), Assistant Director for Career Development: Jim joins the CDO from the Tucson office of Snell & Wilmer, where was a commercial litigation associate. A graduate of Arizona Law, Jim was a member of both the Arizona Law Review and the ABA Appellate Advocacy moot court team. He also received the Hawkins Professionalism Award and won the Richard Grand Closing Argument Competition. Jim will be counseling students interested in private practice careers.

Pare Gerou , Assistant Director of Public Interest: Pare joins the CDO with over two decades of experience in immigration law, where she has done everything from starting her own non-profits, to working directly with immigration clients, to adjudicating asylum cases. She is also a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law where she later returned to instruct the school's Refugee & Asylum Clinic as a clinical professor. Pare will be counseling students interested in public interest career paths.

Lisa Queen ('13), Assistant Director for Career Development: Lisa joins the CDO with nearly six years of experience in the public sector, first as a law clerk, and later working for the Maricopa County Office of the Public Advocate as a delinquency attorney. Since 2014, she has traveled the country with Judge Peter Cahill (ret.) giving presentations on the case law developed from the seminal case of In re Gault. Lisa will be counseling students interested in careers with government employers.

 
Additionally, all three counselors will be instrumental in running the college's externship program -- each will serve as a faculty supervisor for Arizona Law externship students, who will be divided into sections based on practice area. 

Shannon Trebbe leads the office as Assistant Dean for Career Development

Shannon Walker is Assistant Director of Employer Engagement


Shannon says this new structure is intended to help further integrate the CDO into the academic life of the law school and enable stronger and more meaningful connections between the CDO and the student body.
 
If you are looking to hire an Arizona Law extern, please reach out to Assistant Director of Employer Engagement, Shannon Walker, at sawalker@email.arizona.edu.
 
On-Campus Interviewing
 
Many Arizona Law students connect with employers through On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) events scheduled in the fall and spring each year.
 
This fall, we have already welcomed representatives from 30 employers -- including those from private firms and the public sector -- to the University of Arizona to conduct On-Campus Interviews with Arizona Law students.




Second Session of Course on Civic Leadership Skills, 
Sept. 16  

College of Law alumni are invited to participate -- in one session or multiple sessions -- of a fascinating and timely course being taught by Mary Grier ('77), titled  Leading Across the Divide:  Civic Leadership Skills for Troubled Times. The course is held every Monday through November 18 from 5:30-7:20 p.m. (full syllabus).

Join us for the next session on Monday, September 16:
 

Featured speaker: Frank Gonzalez, Assistant Professor in the UA School of Government and Public Policy
 
"Well Doctor, What Have We Got?" "A Republic, if You Can Keep It." Modern challenges to the proper functioning of our democratic republican form of government, including hyper-partisanship, extreme polarization, demonizing the other, gathering in silos, and the media. What theories of political psychology, evolutionary biology, and competing political world views and value systems explain today's culture wars and group affiliations (Kahan/Lakoff/Haidt). How do you communicate and cooperate or work effectively with people whose world view is diametrically opposed to your own? What strategies might help the United States overcome the extreme divisions in its body politic?
 
If you would like to attend next Monday, or for any of the sessions between now and November 18, contact Nancy Stanley at  nstanley@email.arizona.edu.



Join the Bear Down Network
 

 
Join to access networking and career development opportunities exclusive to Wildcats. Once you've signed up, you can find classmates by looking for the College of Law group.

In the News

Most JD students come to learn the law, become a licensed attorney, and practice law. 

Summer and externship experiences, guided by our Career Development Office, are important pathways to build legal experience, explore fields, and find both a practice and employers who will provide rewarding opportunities after graduation. 

The range of opportunities has grown in recent years, and the CDO provides critical advice in navigating these more varied professional gateways.

Warmly,

Marc

 

 

 
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